The background of the invention is presented in two parts: (1) the field of the invention, and (2) a description of the prior art.
1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to sporting goods, and particularly to avalanche shovels, snow probes, ski poles and other safety equipment carried during back-country travel in the winter season.
2. Description of Prior Art
In the past, various efforts have been made to provide collapsible snow shovels, shovel handles, and telescoping ski poles that require less storage space when not in use. Generally, these shovels and shovel handles are designed without weight being a factor, thus resulting in a heavy or bulky product. The need to incorporate a snow probe, a snow shovel, and an adjustable ski pole into one apparatus did not exist until recently because travel in the back country has been very limited. Today, with technologically advanced snowmobiles and back country ski equipment, back country travel is rapidly becoming a favorite winter sport. Consequently, more snowmobilers and skiers are increasingly involved with avalanches and the death tolls continue to climb each year. One problem with the prior art is that it is not suitable or customized enough to be accepted as life-saving tools by today's snowmobilers and back country skiers. U.S. Pat. No. 808,992 to Lawson discloses an extensible handle for shovels and the like; however, because of its solid, multiple interlocking sections, it is too heavy and too bulky, thus making it difficult to pack. In addition, because of the solid design, it is not feasible to incorporate other necessary tools inside the handle of Lawson's invention. U.S. Pat. No. 1,267,915 to Shellabarger discloses another type of handle for shovels which incorporates longitudinally extending grooves within telescoping elements. This method is prohibitively expensive to manufacture and results in a shovel that is not cost effective to produce. Secondly, Shellabarger's shovel was not designed with weight in mind and is merely an extending shovel handle permanently secured to a shovel blade. This increases the difficulty of packing such an apparatus. Furthermore, an adjustable ski pole and snow probe cannot be incorporated into Shellabarger's invention, further limiting its effectiveness and denying it any other uses than a shovel. U.S. Pat. No. 2,085,382 to Nebor discloses another type of collapsible snow shovel designed to be stored in an automobile trunk or tool box. The blade of this shovel, made of corrugated sheet metal is too heavy. In addition, its construction relies on dually slidable corrugated sheet metal sections. This severely detracts from its simplicity and adds to its production cost.
U.S. design Pat. No. 267,468 to Simms most closely relates to the invention of the Extreme Avalanche Shovel; however, Simms' shovel is limited in its usefulness because it fails to incorporate a snow probe and ski pole into the same apparatus. Simms' shovel is an effective back country shovel, but its use requires a separate snow probe be carried into the field, which adds to the bulk and weight one must pack. It also lacks means for converting it into a ski pole. U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,987 to Ryder discloses a collapsible ski pole. Firstly, the basket cannot be detracted from this ski pole, thus preventing it from being used as a snow probe. Secondly, it is too short to be an effective snow probe. Thirdly, it has no means of attaching a shovel blade so it can be dually utilized as a shovel handle.
Therefore, all the devices heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages:
(a) the scope of the above mentioned devices is solely focused on a single function; PA1 (b) with the exception of the device disclosed in U.S. design Pat. No. 267,468 to Simms, all previously noted devices were designed for users other than the skiers or snowmobilers as they are overly heavy, bulky and difficult to pack; and PA1 (c) the use of any of these above-mentioned devices in the field would require the user to carry in addition to these devices, complimentary equipment compensating for the lack of function of these apparatuses. This inconvenience adds to the bulk and weight one must carry in the back country. The mere thought of this additional weight may deter back country enthusiasts from carrying any or all of the aforementioned gear which may leave them unprepared during travel. Consequently, unproper preparation may result in injury or death. This has been documented from instances in the past. PA1 (a) to provide a compact and lihtweight tool with a number of functions; PA1 (b) to provide a snow probe within a shovel to aid in locating buried victims of avalanches more efficiently as time is a crucial factor when saving the lives of victims buried by avalanches; PA1 (c) to provide the use of an extendible ski pole with virtually no extra weight or space required in the event that one is necessary;